The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1887-03-04

worn out when. at dusk. We arrived q
what was to BE- my home for che next
few ycars- u course. MT expecting
~ out 80 soon. the house was still I'M
finishcd-no door. M windows. We
had 70 nail up carpets and quilts for
that and many other nights. No one
could b an invalid long in that de-
iightful country. l gained strength
each day, our house was soon finished,
and then commenced the pleasant task
Of making our home look like home.
Our cabin was unusually large. The
lower noor was D room. ~ was also
the upper. the only difference between
the two you had 70 lower your head
somewhat In moving about in some
parts 81 tho upper floor. ! began by
having AL furniture for which I had no
immediate use stored in those parts
Of the upper floor that Il wasn't
convenient to stand up in. Then /
drew an imaginary line dividing the
lower floor into Parlor. bedroom
and Kitchen. A large bed. with =
sliding-bed underneath for the chill
dren. around which l suspended . cur
tain. was the bedroom; piano. sofa,
rocker and two chairs was parlor;
dining-room contained table. chairs
and bureau; kitchen, cook stove and
table. ! covered the floor with rag
carpet, thinking it the most suitable. l
put some beds upstairs for the accom-
mediation Of any travellers until a hotel
could be built We were now settled.
My husband. in the mean time. had
not been idle. Parties were buying
lots and building houses. a saw-mill
was going up. and the land was being
cleared, for the town was located right
in the woods. Those were pleasant
days, for. although pressed with busi-
ness, my husband would occasionally
60 hunting and fishing. ! almost al
ways accompanied him. He had bought
me a small rifle and taught me to shoot
at a mark until l had been quite expert
with my rife. 50 he was not the only
one who brought down the game on
our hunting expeditions.
My first introduction to the Indians
was rather unexpected IL was one
Sunday. All had gone out for TX.
leaving the children and myself for the
first time alone Four big Indians
stepped to the door. and all / could
think Of was the terrible things l had
read about scalping. etc l turned
around without q word and cut up
pies and gave to them. remem-
bering that some one had said that il
You IN kind to them they won't harm
YOU. There was a smile on their faces
when they took the pie and sat down
70 eat it. Now. when Think Of il. l
would say they must have been smiling
in their sleeves had they any 70 smile
in. for they could see how frightened /
was.
Our place was only q few miles from
Wmnebago Reservation. and the In
dams now began to come back and
TO trade and buy at the store.
We were often annoyed BY them.
One morning l had just mixed some
bread dough and had put Il nicely COW
cred o a chair near the stove. when q
big Indian walked in and deliberately
sat down on it. l pulled him away
and showed him the bread. He laughed
As the weather grew colder and the
evenings longer We derived much en-
joyment from our music. We had pur-
chased all the latest songs before Ieav-
ing home, and made good use Of them.
Many . traveller on entering our cabin
home opened wide his eyes in astonish-
when they rested on the piano.
One gentleman from Philadelphia went
30 far as to say that had he came across
a steamboat in the woods he wouldn't
have been more surprised. 1 often had
quite an audience, composed mainly Of
Indians, listening attentivcly.
The land all around us was taken mp.
and. in order to have our one hundred
and sixty acres nea the town, hus-
band bought . claim from q young
man who had not yet acquired title
the Government 1t was about
two miles from town We were Obliged
to live on II thirty days before We could
pre-cmpt it. We delayed living on it
till the following spring. and came
rear losing it, Husband came in ono
in great haste and said he had
heard hat some man was building =
on our claim. and II we didn't
take possession Of our cabin that night
would lose IT, l hastily gathered
together a few things, and We started
on our tramp through the woods. hus-
band leading the way. with child
on one arm and lantern on
the other. followed BY myself
and the rest Of the children. with
Pat. our man Of all work. in the rear
frundling . whcelbarrow laden with
bedding. etc. l gradually became
to living in . hut. for
hat was about what Il was. Isocn be-
gan TO realize the truth Of what that
had warned me, for a large
i've inches long. fell from
The root to my feet one day. and u
snofh~r tina 4 hrusho1 an Sn,rn r.v